Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 3222 Gold Traditional and Timeless Gold has been coveted by ancient cultures and used to create fine jewelry for thousands of years. It has a natural warm, yellow glow that is iconic and easily distinguished in a fine piece of jewelry. Pure gold is rather sot and scratches easily. When seen in jewelry, it is most oten alloyed with other metals to increase its durability and hardness. The percentage of gold used in this mix is referred to as its karat. The karat scale dictates the units of gold in the alloy out of 24 parts. If the gold alloy is 18/24 parts pure gold, it is referred to as 18 karat gold or 18k. If the gold is 14/24 parts pure gold, it is referred to as 14 karat gold or 14k. Sometimes the gold purity in a ring is referred to in terms of percentage. Using this method, an 18k gold ring is called 750 (75% pure), and a 14k gold ring is called 585 (58.5% pure). The gold alloy is available in a variety of colors influenced by the other metals used in the mixture. Yellow Gold Otenalloyedwithcopperandsilver,yellowgoldwillmaintain its color over time and has an excellent hardness, making it scratch resistant. As the gold content in a ring decreases and the amount of alloy metal increases, as with 14k gold, the jewelry will take on a more brassy color and become slightly more scratch resistant. White Gold Introduced as an alternative to platinum around the time of World War II, this alloy takes pure yellow gold and bleaches it with nickel and other white metals. The resulting color is usually beige in appearance. Most oten, the finished piece will be electroplated with rhodium, giving it a very white appearance. The rhodium plating is hard and scratch resistant. However, as a ring is worn this plating will deteriorate, exposing the natural warmer hue underneath. Depending on amount of wear, and the body chemistry of the wearer, a ring will need to be re-plated, or “dipped,” to maintain its whiteness. The plating can last from 6 months to more than 5 years. 23 www.hlgross.com Visit Us Today - Schedule an Appt